External Affairs Ministry spokesman Randhir Jaiswal said both leaders agreed to maintain the renewed momentum in India-Germany ties and discussed key global issues of interest.”They also discussed further avenues for cooperation in the fields of economy, investment and manufacturing, technology and innovation, security and defence as well as mobility of talent,” Jaiswal said.Earlier, both the leaders addressed the 18th Asia-Pacific Conference of German Business.Speaking at the conference, PM Modi said, “On one hand, the CEO Forum meeting is being held here; on the other hand, our navies are practicing together. German naval ships are on a port call in Goa. And in a short while from now, the seventh inter-governmental consultations between India and Germany are also to be organised.””That is, the friendship between India and Germany is deepening at every step, on every front,” he added.PM Modi said that this year marks the completion of 25 years of India-Germany strategic partnership and added that the next 25 years are going to take this partnership to new heights.”This year is the 25th year of the India-Germany Strategic Partnership. The next 25 years are going to take this partnership to new heights. We have prepared a roadmap for a developed India in the coming 25 years,” PM Modi said.Prime Minister Modi welcomed the release of the “Focus on India” document by the German Cabinet, which outlines how two strong democracies and leading economies can cooperate for global good.”I am happy that at such a crucial time, the German Cabinet has released the Focus on India document. The Focus on India document is a blueprint of how the world’s two strong democracies, the world’s two leading economies, can together become a force for global good. It clearly reflects the approach and commitment to take the strategic partnership forward in a holistic manner. The trust that Germany has shown in India’s skilled manpower is especially amazing,” he said.PM Modi also expressed confidence that Germany’s decision to increase visas for skilled Indians will boost its growth.”Germany has decided to increase the number of visas given to skilled Indians every year from 20 thousand to 90 thousand. I am confident that this will give a new impetus to Germany’s growth,” he said.Scholz will co-chair the 7th Intergovernmental Consultations (IGC), a biannual meeting involving ministers from both countries.The IGC is a whole-of-government framework under which ministers from both sides hold discussions in their respective areas of responsibility and report on the outcome of their deliberations to the Prime Minister and Chancellor.On the second day of his visit, Chancellor Scholz will be in Goa, where the German naval frigate “Baden-Wuerttemberg” and combat support ship “Frankfurt am Main” will make a scheduled port call as part of Germany’s Indo-Pacific deployment.The Chancellor will depart later tomorrow, concluding his visit to India.Scholz had visited India twice last year, for a bilateral state visit in February 2023 and to attend the G20 Leaders’ Summit in September 2023.Germany is one of India’s most important partners in Europe. The country is home to a large number of people from the Indian diaspora who have positively contributed to the growth of the country.The two countries have had a ‘Strategic Partnership’ in place since 2000, which has been further strengthened with the launch of the IGC at the level of heads of government.The two countries have collaborations on various fronts such as defence, science and technology, investments and higher education. India and Germany share a robust economic and developmental partnership. The biennial IGC format was launched in 2011 and allows for a comprehensive review of cooperation and identification of new areas of engagement at the Cabinet level. India is among a select group of countries with which Germany has such a mechanism, as per the statement.As per the statement, this year, India and Germany are also celebrating the 50 years of Science and Technology Cooperation. Under this cooperation, both sides have taken up projects in several areas of global and emerging importance, like space research, AI, sustainability, earth and environment sciences and advanced materials.
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